The present invention is in the field of article surveillance techniques and relates to a magnetic marker for use in an electronic article surveillance system (EAS).
Magnetic markers are widely used in EAS systems, due to their property to provide a unique non-linear response to an interrogating magnetic field created in a surveillance zone. The most popularly used markers utilize a magnetic element made of soft magnetic amorphous alloy ribbons, which is typically shaped like an elongated strip. A marker of this kind is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,184. This strip-like marker usually is of several centimeters in length and a few millimeters (or even less than a millimeter) in width.
It is a common goal of marker designing techniques to decrease the marker dimensions and to enhance the uniqueness of its response. One of the important parameters of a marker is its detection probability determined, for example in EAS systems of Meto International GmbH, as a minimal angle of inclination of the marker from the central vertical plane of an interrogation zone at which the marker is detectable. The interrogation zone is typically a space between detection coils, i.e., a magnetic detection system capable of identifying the existence of a magnetic marker on an item passing through the gate. Another important parameter of a marker is its length. It is known that the longer the magnetic element of the marker, the less the sensitivity value of the system, which is sufficient for the detection of the marker-associated article. Moreover, the conventional attaching device, known as the so-called xe2x80x9ctagging gunxe2x80x9d, is capable of automatically attaching markers of up to 32 mm in length to various items. Longer markers have to be attached manually. For example, the conventional 32 mm-length marker (made from amorphous ribbon) commercially available from Meto International GmbH has the minimal detection angle (the so-called xe2x80x9cMeto anglexe2x80x9d) of about 30-35xc2x0, at an aisle width of 90 cm. Additionally, it is desirable to increase the marker flexibility so as to enable its attachment to various flexible and flat articles like clothes, footwear, etc. in a concealed manner. For these purposes, a magnetic element in the form of a thin wire is preferable over that of a strip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,630 discloses a method for preparing a magnetic material with a highly specific magnetic signature, namely with a magnetic hysteresis loop having large Barkhausen discontinuity at low coercivity values, and a marker utilizing a magnetic element made of this material. The material is prepared from a negative-magnetostrictive metal alloy by casting an amorphous metal wire, processing the wire to form longitudinal compressive stress in the wire, and annealing the processed wire to relieve some of the longitudinal compressive stress. However, a relatively large diameter of the so-obtained wire (approximately 50 xcexcm) impedes its use in EAS applications. Additionally, a complicated multi-stage process is used in the manufacture of this wire. Furthermore, amorphous wire brittleness unavoidably occurs, due to the wire-annealing process. Such brittleness will prevent the use of the wire in flexible markers.
A technique for manufacturing microwires known as Taylor-wire method enables to produce microwires having very small diameters ranging from one micrometer to several tens of micrometers by a single-stage process consisting of a direct cast of a material from melt. Microwires produced by this technique may be made from a variety of magnetic and non-magnetic alloys and pure metals. This technique is disclosed, for example, in the article xe2x80x9cThe Preparation, Properties and Applications of Some Glass Coated Metal Filaments Prepared by the Taylor-Wire Processxe2x80x9d, W. Donald et al., Journal of Materials Science, 31, 1996, pp. 1139-1148.
The most important feature of the Taylor-wire process is that it enables to produce metals and alloys in the form of a glass-coated microwire in a single operation, thus offering an intrinsically inexpensive way for the microwire manufacture.
A technique of manufacturing magnetic glass-coated microwires with an amorphous metal structure is described, for example, in the article of xe2x80x9cMagnetic Properties of Amorphous Fexe2x80x94P Alloys Containing Ga, Ge, and Asxe2x80x9d, H. Wiesner and J. Schneider, Phys. Stat. Sol. (a) 26, 71 (1974).
The properties of amorphous magnetic glass-coated microwires are described in the article xe2x80x9cHigh Frequency Properties of Glass-Coated Microwiresxe2x80x9d, A. N. Antonenko et al, Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 83, pp. 6587-6589. The microwires cast from alloys with small negative magnetostriction demonstrate flat hysteresis loops with zero coercivity and excellent high frequency properties. The microwires cast from alloys with positive magnetostriction are characterized by ideal square hysteresis loops corresponding to their single-domain structure.
There is a need in the art to facilitate the article surveillance by providing a novel magnetic marker to be used in EAS system.
It is a major feature of the present invention to provide such a marker that has minimum dimensions, while maintaining the necessary level of response to an interrogating magnetic field.
It is a further feature of the present invention that the marker has highly unique response characteristics.
It is a still further feature of the present invention that the marker is extremely flexible, and can therefore be introduced to articles made of fabrics and having a complex shape.
The main idea of the present invention is based on the use of amorphous metal glass-coated magnetic microwires with substantially zero magnetostriction, very low coercivity (substantially less than 10 A/m) and high permeability (substantially higher than 20000) to form a magnetic element of a marker. The present invention takes advantage of the use of the known Tailor-wire method for manufacturing these amorphous glass-coated magnetic microwires from materials enabling to obtain the zero magnetostriction.
Although amorphous magnetic glass-coated microwires and their manufacture have been known for a long time, no attempts were made for using them in magnetic elements of EAS markers. These amorphous magnetic glass-coated microwires, however, have good mechanical strength, flexibility, and corrosion resistance, and can therefore be easily incorporated in paper, plastic, fabrics and other article materials.
The inventors have found that the use of the Tailor-wire method allows for obtaining thin glass-coated amorphous microwire (with the core diameter of about 30 xcexcm and less), and that the properties of the microwire can be controlled by varying the core diameter value, as well as varying the metal-containing composition to meet the above-indicated magnetostriction, coercivity and permeability conditions. The glass-to-metal ratio is also controlled, such that the glass-coating thickness is about 1-5 xcexcm the 45-60 xcexcm core diameter wire, and preferably 1-3 xcexcm for 30 xcexcm core diameter wire.
Additionally, the inventors have found that, in the detection system of Meto International GmbH (for example, the Meto 2200/EM3+ model), a 32 mm-length marker formed from three 30 xcexcm core diameter microwires renders a 22-250xc2x0 detection probability at an aisle width of 90 cm, and that a single-microwire marker with the 45-60 xcexcm core diameter (preferably 50 xcexcm) microwire renders a detection probability of about 17-20xc2x0. The same 17-20xc2x0 detection probability can be obtained with a marker formed from an array (e.g., bundle) of five 30 xcexcm core diameter microwires. Moreover, a 50 xcexcm core diameter microwire with a 26 mm length renders the detection probability of about 18-22xc2x0 (with the detection systems of Meto International GmbH), where ribbon-based markers of this length do not work at all.
The term xe2x80x9cdetection probabilityxe2x80x9d used herein signifies a minimal angle of inclination of the marker from the central vertical plane of an interrogation zone defined by a detection system, at which the marker is detectable by the system.
There is thus provided according to one aspect of the present invention, a magnetic marker for use in an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system, the marker comprising a magnetic element including a predetermined number of microwire pieces made of an amorphous metal-containing material with glass coating and having substantially zero magnetostriction, coercivity substantially less than 10 A/m and permeability substantially higher than 20000, said predetermined number of the microwire pieces and a core diameter of the microwire piece being selected in accordance with a desired detection probability of the marker to be obtained in a specific detection system.
The marker may contain the single microwire piece with the above magnetic properties and a core diameter substantially within a range of 45-60 xcexcm, or at least three microwire pieces, each with the above magnetic properties and the core diameter substantially not exceeding 30 xcexcm. These markers are characterized by the detection probability substantially not exceeding 25xc2x0 (more specifically 17-25xc2x0) at the aisle width of 90 cm in the detection systems of Meto International GmbH (specifically, the Meto 2200/EM3+gates model).
The microwire preferably has a length substantially not exceeding 32 mm (e.g., 26-32 mm length), and can therefore be easily attached to an item (i.e., by the conventional tagging gun.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic marker for use in an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system, the marker comprising a magnetic element having a single microwire piece, which is made of an amorphous metal-containing material with glass coating and has substantially zero magnetostriction, coercivity substantially less than 10 A/m and permeability substantially higher than 20000, a core diameter of the microwire piece being of about 45-60 xcexcm.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic marker for use in an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system, the marker comprising a magnetic element including at least three microwire pieces, each of the microwire pieces being made of an amorphous metal-containing material with glass coating and having substantially zero magnetostriction, coercivity substantially less than 10 A/m and permeability substantially higher than 20000, a core diameter of the microwire piece substantially not exceeding 30 xcexcm.
Preferably, the microwire piece is manufactured by a single-stage process of direct cast from melt (i.e., Tailor-wire method). The properties of the microwire piece are controlled by varying the metal-containing material composition and the glass-to-metal diameter ratio.
As indicated above, the microwire piece comprises a core, made of the metal-containing material, and the glass coating. The metal core and the glass coating may be either in continuous contact or may have only several spatially separated points of contact.
Preferably, the metal containing material is a cobalt-based alloy. For example Coxe2x80x94Fexe2x80x94Sixe2x80x94B alloy (e.g., containing 77.5% Co, 4.5% Fe, 12% Si, and 6% B by atomic percentage), Coxe2x80x94Fexe2x80x94Sixe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Cr alloy (e.g., containing 68.7% Co, 3.8% Fe, 12.3% Si, 11.4% B, and 3.8% Cr by atomic percentage), or Coxe2x80x94Fexe2x80x94Sixe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Crxe2x80x94Mo alloy (e.g., containing 68.6% Co, 4.2% Fe, 12.6% Si, 11% B, 3.52% Cr and 0.08% Mo by atomic percentage) may be used. The microwire piece made of the Coxe2x80x94Fexe2x80x94Sixe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Crxe2x80x94Mo alloy shows less sensitivity to external mechanical tensions, due to the fact that in this microwire the metal core and glass coating are physically attached to each other only in several spatially separated points of contact, rather than being in continuous contact.
Preferably, for making a single-microwire marker (with a 45-60 xcexcm core diameter), the cobalt-based alloy of Co, Fe, Si, B, Cr and Mo is used, e.g., the following composition: 68.6% Co, 4.2% Fe, 12.6% Si, 11% B, 3.52% Cr and 0.08% Mo by atomic percentage.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic article surveillance system utilizing a marker mounted within an article to be detected by the system when entering an interrogation zone, the system comprising a frequency generator coupled to a coil for producing an alternating magnetic field within said interrogation zone, a magnetic field receiving coil, a signal processing unit, and an alarm device, wherein said marker comprises a magnetic element including a predetermined number of microwire pieces, made of an amorphous metal-containing material with glass coating and having substantially zero magnetostriction, coercivity substantially less than 10 A/m and permeability substantially higher than 20000, wherein the marker has one of the following designs:
it has the single microwire piece with a core diameter of about 45-60 xcexcm; and
it has at least three microwire pieces, each with a core diameter substantially not exceeding 30 xcexcm.